Grassland management

Grass growth rates continue to vary greatly depending on the part of the country that farmers are located in. Heavy rainfall with some flash flooding in places and a dip in temperatures at the start of the week set back growth on marginal lands in the west and northwest. Others in the east and south are getting closer to normal May grass growth rates and while there has been no major burst in growth countrywide, grass supplies are rising fast in places and becoming harder to manage.

Quick action will be needed in these circumstances to keep quality on track. At Tuesday’s IGA sheep event, Ciaran Lynch, Teagasc, told those attending that it was important that farmers keep their foot on the pedal to capitalise on a good opportunity to replenish fodder supplies. He advised farmers to introduce temporary electric fencing to split paddocks where grass is getting ahead of stock. These paddocks can be skipped and taken out as surplus grass. He also advised farmers to continue to apply fertiliser after grazing, with volumes applied depending on the stocking rate, grass supply and fodder deficit. Applying even a small volume of fertiliser (10 to 15 units) will also help to maintain grass quality, with a higher risk of grass starting to head out in the coming weeks. Flocks lambing from mid-February onwards will also need to be putting plans in place to have good-quality grass available for lambs post-weaning.

Monitoring performance

Also speaking at Tuesday’s IGA event was UK farmer Matthew Blyth, manager of Didling farms, who runs a flock of 1,250 ewes in West Sussex. A central theme in Matthew’s presentation was that management is greatly limited if measurements are not taken and analysed. This applies to all aspects of the farming system, but a timely tip is how monitoring lamb performance allowed the farm to identify periods where lamb performance fell well below target. The farm is operating with EID tagging and numerous software packages, but a simplistic approach can also be taken by weighing a representative sample of lambs, identifying clearly (tag, spray mark, etc) and reweighing in the coming weeks.

Sheep welfare scheme

There have been some follow-on queries after last week’s piece on maintaining the reference number under the Sheep Welfare Scheme. Regarding the consequences of failing to notify the Department of a lower reference number, the answer is as follows. If an inspection occurs and a shortfall in the reference number is identified, then a penalty will be applied. The penalty is twice the shortfall number. For example, if the reference number is 100 ewes and a farmer only has 80 eligible animals (ewes or 2017-born hoggets) present, then the penalty is payment on 40 animals. Special dispensation may apply where numbers have fallen due to certified animal health reasons. Notification of a reduction in a flock’s reference number can be made by sending a note outlining the change in numbers to the Sheep Welfare Scheme Section, DAFM, Government Offices, Old Abbeyleix Road, Portlaoise, Co Laois, or by emailing sheepscheme@agriculture.gov.ie. This will not set a new reference figure and flock numbers can be increased to their original level.